Crisp
by Adja
Summary: Coda to 3x16 Setup, so obviously, you'll have to have seen the ep. Picks up where the episode left off. Now they've got time to talk about things left unsaid. But, knowing them, you think they will?


**F****ic:** Crisp  
**Fandom:** Castle**  
****Story by:** Adja999 at Livejournal dot com**  
****Spoilers:**Coda to 3x16 Setup, so obviously, you'll have to have seen the ep.**  
****Pairings/characters:** B/C, (Ryan/Esposito if you want)**  
****Summary:** Picks up where the episode left off. Now they've got time to talk about things left unsaid. But, knowing them, you think they will?  
**A/N:** I don't know if it came out how I wanted it. But yeah, some stuff I wanted said.

Beckett was shuddering from time to time, Castle tugged her even closer, pressing against her back and side. "I'm sorry." He said.

She forced herself to relax and sink further into his warmth. "Not your fault, Castle." She spoke softly, sounding defeated. "If anything it's mine. You didn't sign up for this, you shouldn't have been here."

"Bullshit." Castle called. "Becket-… Kate. I'm here. I did sign up for this and I'll go down with you if I have to."

She turned to him.

"I'm serious." He insisted. "You're my partner and I'm not letting you down. Ever."

She blinked at him, obviously unsettled as to… "Why?"

"Would you?"

She frowned. "Would you what?"

"Would you let me down? Or Ryan and Esposito?"

"No." she admitted after a beat.

He turned her reasoning on her. "Why?"

"…. Fair enough." She shuddered again, hugging herself closer, she smiled. "Careful, Castle. You're starting to sound like a cop."

"Yeah?" he grinned. "Do I get a call sign? Like Maverick or Black Eagle?"

"How about Ricky?" she teased.

He squeezed her frame disapprovingly, she chuckled softly.

xXx

"_Is it the part where I say 'uh oh'? Cause I kind of feel 'uh oh' right now." Castle said in a small voice, as they stared each other down from each side of the cold chamber._

_For the second time in 48 hours, they found themselves in the same position, looking in each other's eyes and trying not to let the panic take them over._

_There was a long while where she just stared back, then she lowered her gaze and assessed the room, trying to reign in the feeling and be productive. "Shit." She muttered._

_She drew out the charger of her weapon, counted the bullets left. Castle watched anxiously. "Can we turn off the cold?"_

"_Maybe." Kate says as she examined the installation. "But this is cooled by gas, if I blow it, no more air for us."_

"_Damn." He walked closer. "So, that's it then?"_

"_Shut up, Castle. Don't give up so easy." She eyed him and bent down to pick up the frozen body at her feet. "A hand?"_

"_Uhh…" he helped her put Jamal on his feet, unsure where this was going._

"_Over there." She gestured with her chin. "There's the engine part, I think. Maybe I can break it with a bullet or two."_

_Castle followed her lead as she tugged Alhabi in that direction. "Where does Mr Freese factor in all this?"_

"_Ricochets." She said with a grunt, pushing him up against the engine block and slipping her gun between frozen flesh and metal._

"_Right."_

_They both cringed when she fired, the blash echoing hard and loud. Then they heard a whirring slow and quiet. The kind of background noise people tune out because they're always one. A computer running, the air con, the street… or a giant freezer._

"_It worked." Castle said with a shaky smile._

_She shrugged, not looking that satisfied. They weren't out of the woods yet._

"_What now?" he asked._

_She eyed the door. Cold chambers don't have inner handles. From the amount of accidental and non accidental deaths induced by that fact, you'd think they'd have picked up on it and made an emergency button of some kind. Apparently, industrials were sadists. "We said." She said bitterly. "They either find us or they don't."_

_Castle shivered. "Awesome."_

_Beckett's eyes were back on Jamal. "We should… huddle."_

_Castle looked up and sat down next to her, allowing her to slip under his arm. He felt her body quake against the cold. "It's a pity it's so well isolated." The chamber would stay could for days, even now. No chance for them to survive that._

"_I think I'd rather freeze and fall asleep than die by asphyxiation." Beckett mused._

"_What?"_

_She gestured at the door. "Also hermetic."_

"_Joy."_

xXx

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Beckett murmured from his side, puffs of white fog forming in front of her.

Castle looked at her. "What is?"

"Nikki Heat, freezing to death."

He chuckled weakly. "True. Not quite the ending I had in mind, though."

"Yeah?" she shifted, trying to get more warmth. "What was it?"

"Well, after a good twenty books and a rocky partnership, Rook and her get married and have lots of beautiful kids together." He mused. "Although, I suspect I've let my mom and Alexis put this idea in my brain." He felt Beckett's laughter. "I like it though. You can't kill all your heroes." He squeezed her shoulder.

"Castle…" She shifted, trying to get the look on his face, but he was staring ahead and frowning.

"Did you… did you hear that?"

She paid attention. There were distant sounds. They looked at each other. Friend or foe?

She drew her gun to the door, shrugging off Castle's arm and coat to get a steadier aim. Somehow, adrenaline compensated for cold for a moment, so when the door creaked open, her hands were steady.

Someone jumped in, gun at point, then a yell. "It's Beckett! Beckett and Castle!" Ryan called and Esposito stumbled in, with Montgomery trying to peek over their shoulders.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

"The bomb! It was here! White van."

Ryan shook his head. "They drove off. Left plastic covering behind. We don't know what color it is now."

Esposito made a call for EMTs. Beckett pushed herself up and tugged Castle along. "For now, at least the two of us are going to be fine."

"Yeah." Ryan said, holstering his gun back and patting her shoulder.

"I dunno." Castle intoned. "I'd like to regain the feeling of having a lower body, and _then_ I might believe that."

She smiled at him.

Later

He considered her for a while. "You don't need your doctor without borders." He said softly, after a beat. "If you get sick," he starts, cutting off any protests she might have. "I'll bring you soup."

She looks back for a second, then leans her head against his shoulder and smiles. "Sure, Castle. You know you're the one who's gonna get pneumonia from this. You just want me to feel obliged to do the same."

He laughed, leaned in and kissed her forehead. He absentmindedly processed that he'd expected her forehead to be colder than that, but maybe it felt okay enough because his own skin was still blue? There was a moment of silence before she looked up. He saw an invitation in her eyes and leaned in again, this time aiming for her lips.

It was amazing to realize that after spending such a long time in a freezer, in danger of becoming a popsicle, his body instantly heated up at the touch. Suffocating. Like last time. But this time it was real, he was sure. When she pulled away to look at him, this time there wasn't the shock and anguish he'd seen that other day. Her eyes flickered briefly to his lips and back to his eyes, then the corner of her lips pulled up in a small crooked grin. There was a crinkle of the golden cover around their shoulders, which Castle suspected was a human sized candy wrapper, as he cupped her jaw and drew her back in.

"We contacted Homeland Security through MTAC, the FPS, NSA and ATF are on their way. Interpol called with a lead." One of the officers on scene informed Esposito in the meantime.

"Yeah? Go the French. I always said they were sneakier." He grins. The other cop sends him an odd look and walks away.

Ryan chuckles. "We're spending too much time with Castle." He paused. "Why sneakier?"

Esposito gave him a goofy smile. Yep, definitely too much Castle. "People know about the CIA."

"So? The French don't have a CIA."

"That you _know_ of."

"Ahh…" Ryan smiled and nodded. "I'll go give Beckett the good news." He said, whirling around to head for the ambulance.

He fell back onto his heels due to the hand of one Javier Esposito wrapped around his bicep. He didn't make a move to disentangle himself as he saw the two kissing. He turned back to his partner and they shared a smile. About time.

Then Esposito saw Ryan's face turn stony. "What?"

The younger cop held up an angry finger, poking at Esposito's bulletproof vest. "We are catching those guys. No casualty, not a wrinkle. Nobody," He growled. "is ruining this." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the cute couple.

Esposito held his gaze, bumped his fist softly against his partner's still raised one. "Amen to that, bro."

xxxx

Btw, for those who were wondering. We do have a CIA style agency. Don't ask me what or how I know, they'll make me disappear before I can answer. ^^

I'd love to know what you think. :D


End file.
